Kenji Tabata is a character in Ultraman Gaia. He is the director of KCB.
Personality
As the director of the news department, Tabata often approaches news reporting with skepticism and criticism, and a belief in reporting facts accurately. He dares to venture into dangerous locations to report on battles between monsters and Ultraman, and their existence.
When GUARD began its operations against monsters, he questioned the extreme secrecy of the organization's military activities, and tried to uncover information about the organization through various channels. However, midway through, he gradually began to trust them as a means of protecting himself.
At the same time, due to his pursuit of investigating supernatural events, he has been criticized by KCB's high command. Nevertheless, he still maintains an unwavering determination and, through his actions, has an impact on the direction of the series.
Regarding his subordinates, he is quite strict with Rimbun but gentle with Reiko.
History
Ultraman Gaia
Tabata is a member of the KCB journalist team and the leader of the "Tabata class". He serves as the main director of the team and assists in live broadcasts and news reporting.
As a frontline journalist, he reported on the appearance of C.O.V. over Tokyo and witnessed the birth of Ultraman Gaia. Seize the Light!Through his on-site observations, he learned about the existence and connection between Gamu and XIG, although the situation at the time was a puzzle that was difficult to unravel. After that, he and other KCB members began reporting on battles between Gaia and monsters.A Hero Appears
During a report on the strange events in Shiraiwa Town, Tabata and Reiko were attacked by a crowd of people who were under the control of Psycho Mezard. In order to protect Reiko, Tabata ran to divert the attention of the crowd while carrying a camera, and they escaped to the rooftop of a hotel. There, they met Kaori Sato, the only resident who had not been brainwashed and was also Sato's younger brother. When the crowd attempted to attack them, they were protected by the nearby residents who exerted all their effort to protect Kaori. After Ultraman Agul defeated Psycho Mezard, they were rescued.The Night of the Marionettes
During a report on abnormal heat waves in the mountains, he discovered alone Yuichi Takayama, the father of Gamu, who suffered from heat stroke and briefly lost consciousness. He then brought him to the Takayama house for care.
When Enzan appeared and nearby residents were evacuated, he learned that a resident, Tokuzo Takezuka, who lived in the mountains, had not yet evacuated. He decided to help Yuichi go up the mountain to rescue Takezuka, who had already fainted. However, on the way back, the downhill path was blocked by fallen trees. He was highly impressed by Yuichi's "never give up" spirit when he saw him trying to move the trees despite exhaustion and heat stroke, just like Gamu. In the end, they were all saved by the arrival of Ultraman Gaia on time.The Advent of the Heatwave
When Queen Mezard began to attack the KCB headquarters, Tabata was controlled by her to protect Reiko. However, after Gaia stopped Queen Mezard, he returned to normal.The Fourth Symphony of a Nightmare
When the Aerial Base was open for children to visit, Tabata as a representative journalist of KCB, used a camera to shoot the air base in the area. However, his actions were noticed by Captain Tsutsumi. When he talked to the Tsutsumi, he questioned why GUARD had such powerful fighter jets and air base technology, and why it had to be kept secret from the general public for research and development. He also raised the sensitive issue of whether GUARD's existing technological power could become a tool of war for humans in the future, and expressed his inability to understand moving airplanes like game pieces and issuing orders that could affect human life.
Subsequently, during Pazgeek's attack on the base, a child named Taro who was visiting the base sneaked into the XIG Fighter EX in order to see Gaia. When Tabata learned of the situation, he and Tsutsumi boarded the Peace Carry and filmed the entire event. When he learned of Taro's situation in the XIG Fighter EX, Tabata was surprised by Tsutsumi's request for Taro's assistance in operating the EX during the mission.
However, when Koyama explained that Tsutsumi personally piloted the hovercraft to show Taro his face and demonstrated the belief that completing the mission and trusting the commander were more important than anything else, Tabata ultimately changed his view of Tsutsumi and XIG.I Want to See Gaia!
When Zog arrived on Earth, he rushed to the city to film the live broadcast of Ultraman fighting Zeg. In order to protect Rimbun, who was filming the battle, he even fought against several Dobishi using tools such as iron pipes and fire extinguishers. However, he ultimately captured the moment when Ultraman Gaia and Agul were defeated and witnessed the two Ultramen turning back into their human forms, revealing the truth about Gamu and Fujimiya's identities. After contacting Gamu's friend, he rushed to rescue Gamu, who was surrounded by citizens and reporters, with Rimbun and Reiko.The Cry of the Earth
Later, they went to the Particle Observation Research Institute to meet with Fujimiya and began live streaming their efforts to repair the Earth's network, urging humanity not to give up. With their help, Fujimiya and Gamu regained the power of Ultraman. In the decisive battle, under the command of Tanabe, KCB began to live broadcast the whole battle, giving people hope again. Finally, they witnessed Gaia and Agul teaming up to defeat Zog, and Earth finally obtained a moment of peace.Earth is Ultraman's Star
Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again
Some time after the final battle, according to Reiko, he is currently in Bosnia for an interview.Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again
Gallery
Ultraman Gaia
Trivia
- Tabata's actor Hiroshi Tsuburaya played Seiji Miyata in the earlier Ultraman Dyna, and Tabata was also Hiroshi Tsuburaya's last character in the series before his death in 2000.
- According to Chiaki J. Konaka, he only had one conversation with Hiroshi Tsuburaya, which occurred backstage during the media event for Ultraman Gaia. At that time, Tsuburaya was teaching Takeshi Yoshioka some wire-action techniques. When Tsuburaya learned that Konaka was the series compositor, he appeared quite uneasy and, with a flushed face, shared his concern: "Ultraman is meant for kids, but this script is too hard to understand." Considering that the world-building in Ultraman Gaia was more intricate than in other series, Konaka doesn’t clearly remember his exact words, but he recalls responding to Tsuburaya with something like, "Don’t worry, we’ll make it easier to understand."[1]
- During the third quarter of the series, Hiroshi Tsuburaya's health deteriorated due to alcoholic liver disease, and doctors declared that he could no longer participate in the filming. However, the absence of Tabata and Rinbun would have left the story structure of KCB incomplete. As a result, Konaka repeatedly suggested to producer Masato Oida that it might be possible to bring Tabata back. Near the final episodes, Tabata's return was finally approved, and he briefly returned to the series.
- Initially, Konaka envisioned Tabata as a calm, composed professional from the industry. In the early stages of the series, Konaka wondered if Tsuburaya could portray the character in a more restrained manner. However, as the story progressed, the image of Tabata as portrayed by Tsuburaya gained approval from the audience. This led Konaka to revise his plans for the character, eventually portraying Tabata as a passionate and energetic figure.
References